EVANGELION: 2035
by diabloelmo
Summary: Completely re-edited! The next generation of EVA pilots must bear the responsibilities of Humanity's defense, even if it means they sacrifice everything... plz R&R Chapter 5 up! c'mon, read it... u know you want to...
1. Child of Destiny

EVANGELION: 2035

allrighty, this fic has been completely edited for my return to fanfiction writing! The next chapter of EVANGELION 2035 (beta version) should be along shortly. But for now, I would like as many reviews as possible, wether they be good or bad. I'm still a bit of a newbie at this, you know……

CHAPTER ONE: CHILD OF DESTINY

Night. The time of parties for some, a time for... business... for others. But for most people, it is a time for sleep. And that is exactly what a sixteen-year-old girl living in the outskirts of Tokyo-3 was doing. It was plain, however, that she wasn't sleeping well. For the sake of the story, we shall delve into the mind of this particular child.....

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" The girl screamed. She was running, her hair flailing about her face, legs aching with the effort. Down the footpath outside her home, she tried desperately to flee whatever it was that followed her. Crack. The lithe teen stared up at the brick wall that had prematurely ended her flight from danger.

Where the hell did that come from? She wondered, until a menacing growl behind her brought her to her senses, and before she could start running again, a clawed hand turned her around and held her, preventing escape.

"The messengers have awakened, the prophets of doom return,"

"Wha...huh?" was all she could say in reply, scared shitless as she was.

"The Devil shall stir, Lillith's child shall inherit Ikari's mantle"

"Eeeppppp...." The thing that spoke to her was jet black, and against the starry sky, its shape was impossible to make out. However, the two features the shaking teen could make out was a teardrop shaped face, with only two, hollow eyes, and a glowing red sphere underneath it.

"The apocalypse approaches..."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

That night, peace was broken as one Usagi Ikari screamed and sat bolt upright in bed.

Usagi trembled, partially from the terror of the nightmare, partly from the breeze that blew in from her window, chilling her sweat-coated figure. She took in the surrounding features of her bedroom, the one she had lived in her entire life. The bookcase, full to the brim with fantasy books and girlie magazines. The desk, in a similar condition, except with homework. The great big mirror that her godmother had given her two years ago as a surprise birthday present.

She got out of bed, and walked over to it. Looking at herself, she regained her composure. It was just a dream, she told herself. Dammit, I haven't had a nightmare for years, Usagi scolded herself in the mirror. She took the time to study her reflection. Long legs that belied the strength hidden in them had caught the attention of every guy at school, even some of the teachers. A firm, straight body, built for the track and trained for it, she could leave most other competitors at the school athletics days for dead. The rest of her body was the same: well toned and graceful. She could have had any number of boyfriends, if it wasn't for her face. Not that it wasn't beautiful, but so eerily that most people avoided her, save for a few close friends. It was her eyes.

They were blood red.

She had been told that it was a freak, harmless genetic mutation in her mother's side of the family, and it had passed on to her. "Oh well, what can you do?", she sighed, flicking her long, brown hair from her face. She had inherited that from her father, Shinji Ikari, just as she had her eyes from Rei Ikari, her mother. 

Bringing Usagi back to reality, were the voices of her parents in the next room. Better go see them, I must've woken them up she thought, tip-toeing out the door across to her parent's bedroom. She could now make out the words her mother was saying, and she froze, her hand inches from the doorknob.

"This dream, it seems Usagi had it too, Shinji."

"That's impossible! Karou was the last, wasn't he?" Usagi's father replied.

"It is apparent that Tabris was not the last," Rei Ayanami Ikari's soft, almost dispassionate voice sent a shiver down Usagi's spine. She didn't use that voice except when there was something serious going on. And the young Ikari believed that having the same dream as your mother was probably serious, but her mother didn't know that, did she?

"It stated that it would be Lillith's child to inherit the mantle of the Ikaris. That does not leave a lot of guesswork in order to form a conclusion about the identity of the sixth child, does it?"

There was a choking sound coming from Shinji, and then it went quiet. Creeped out to say the least, Usagi went back to bed, knowing she wouldn't sleep.

"Hey princess, wake up!"

Usagi groaned. Her dad had taken to calling her a princess about eight years ago, and hadn't stopped, no matter how many times she told him she was too old for it. She opened her eyes, and they fixed on the alarm clock on her bedside table. She rubbed her eyes, but the time stayed stubbornly the same. Turning slowly towards the person whom had woken her from her sleep, she slowly asked "dad?"

"Yes princess," with a big grin on his face.

"Why am I awake at four-thirty AM?" she inquired, her eye twitching with supreme annoyance, and a look on her face that would have made her godmother proud.

"Get dressed, we leave in ten." Was all the reply she got, before he left.

"Damn." She muttered.

Precisely ten minutes later, the Ikari family was in the car, with one very irate teen in the back.

"Where are we going?" she asked, as there was nothing very interesting going on in Tokyo-3 this early in the morning. All she got was silence.

"Fine." She growled, sitting back in her seat. After a short drive through the centre of the city, made short because they were the only car on the road, they pulled up in front of a set of heavy-duty blast doors set into the side of a hill. On it was a familiar logo; NERV. It was the company her mom and dad used to work for, and it designed specialist defence weapons for the UN. Confused, and knowing to ask a question would be futile, she pondered on the problem ahead of her. Why am I here? She asked herself. Because your dumb-ass parents made you, she replied to herself. Ooookkkaaayyyyyy. She wasn't going anywhere with this conversation, so she stopped and looked out her window. They were in an elevator of sorts, with the glass sides showing rock, rock and more rock. Suddenly, the image opened out to show an enormous cavern, with an odd collection of buildings on the floor of it. There was even a lake, situated right next to an enormous structure that looked like a pyramid. Everywhere she looked, there was greenery, and trees everywhere. And, on the roof, there were some odd outcroppings that hung down, but they were obviously man-made. "Wow." Was all she could say.

"This is the Geofront, Usagi," her father said the first words he had since they had left. "It is a fortress for all mankind."

"Fortress? Against what?" the young Usagi asked. "What could possibly happen that man would need this? Except another meteor, like what happened thirty-five years ago."

"Second Impact was not a meteor, Usagi." Her mother said. "It was preset by mankind, and initiated by an organization known as SEELE."

"What did they do? Set off a million N-2 mines?" joked Usagi, not believing a word.

"No, they awoke something lying dormant under the ice. It was known as Adam, the first Angel."

"Angel? Like, halo and harp?"

"No. The angels were monsters, sent to test man. The Dead Sea scrolls told of their coming, but now I believe it was miss-interpreted. There were only meant to be seventeen angels, and each has been defeated. They attacked Tokyo-3, but only because it had been specifically build to fend off the Angels. Deep down in NERV, in a place called Terminal Dogma, rested the second Angel, named Lillith. Any angel to come into contact with either Adam or Lillith would automatically initiate Third Impact, the apocalypse."

At this, Usagi remembered the dream she had.

"Mum, last night I had a weird dream. I was being chased by a monster, and it said that the end of the world was coming, and something about 'the child of Lillith' What did it mean? I was going to tell you last night, but you were telling dad you had the same dream, and I kinda freaked out."

Two pairs of eyes regarded her, one red, the other brown.

"In a way, you are the child of Lillith. In the literal sense, Lillith is not your biological mother, but her blood flows strongly in your veins. I cannot explain it to you, as I do not know it fully myself, but you are part angel. In a way, I am but am not Lillith." Her mother spoke softly then turned around, leaving one very confused, babbling teenager to her own troubled mind.

The rest of the trip was made in silence, Usagi barely noticing the various tunnels and roads they travelled upon. Is that what I am? She thought, a monster? No wonder everyone thinks I'm weird! Oh god what am I going to do now?

Her self-degrading thoughts stopped with the car, and her parents got out, motioning Usagi to follow. After a long, confusing walk through what had to be miles of corridors, they came out in a large room, which could only be the command centre. Fully half the room was taken up by a giant holographic display, whilst the other half was home to the famed MAGI, the three supercomputers that ran most of Tokyo-3. At the many workstations, Usagi could see technicians at work, along with a few familiar faces.

One of the computer techs was one her dad's oldest friends, Kensuke Aida. The slightly nerdy tech seemed to be enthralled by something he was working on, and didn't look up. Usagi tore her gaze from him and sought out the other two familiar figures in the complex. One, whom was sitting in the commander's chair, was Misato Katsuragi, the woman who had been almost a mother to her dad. Standing next to her, in the role of second commander and tactical commander, was Usagi's godmother, Asuka Langly Soryu. She had grown up with her dad, and were close, although neither would admit it. Asuka, unlike the previous two people, saw her old companions and their daughter come in. With a cold stare at Rei, a triumphant smirk at Shinji and a warm smile for Usagi, she left the side of the commander and came down to them.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" she asked, her usual smirk held in place. "Why, it must be the Ikaris!" she exclaimed, loud enough for everyone in the room to look up, even Kensuke. "On what do we owe this little visit?" she asked, but quieter, this time.

"Shinji, you haven't been around lately. I started to think you didn't love me anymore." Commander Katsuragi joked, walking up to them. Of course, Shinji Ikari went bright red at this, while his wife stayed impassive as ever.

"Rei, you should let him out to play more, you know, he needs to have the exercise." Came the remark from Kensuke, grinning. "Have you come back, or is this just a social visit?" he inquired, shaking his friend's hand.

"It is neither, in fact." Rei interjected. "The angels have returned, and the first shall arrive soon. We have come first to warn you, and second, to deliver the sixth child."

Everyone in earshot, including Shinji, looked at her in amazement.

"Impossible, Shinji destroyed the last of them." Said Asuka icily. 'The Dead Sea scrolls said there were only to be seventeen, and we destroyed them all."

"You forget who I am, pilot Soryu. I had a vision, which my daughter shared." Rei replied flatly. "It specifically stated that the daughter of Lillith would inherit Ikari's mantle, and the 'devil' would awaken once again. Usagi is the pilot, and she will be able to synch with unit one."

At that, Asuka was ready to throw one of her legendary bouts of anger, but was prevented from doing so by the aging Misato.

"I am the commander, and I believe Rei."

"Fine." Turning back to the married couple she said, "I only hope you remember what it is like to pilot. What you are putting your daughter into."

"Yeah. I remember. If it were up to me, she wouldn't even be here." Shinji said. "However, my wife is... persuasive."

Asuka's face hardened. "You know the way." 

"Dad?"

"Mmmmmm?" came the reply.

"Whom or what is unit one?" asked Usagi, as the three of them walked down yet another deserted corridor.

"See for yourself." Her father stopped in front of a large set of doors, which he opened and stepped aside for Usagi to enter. It was pitch black, except for a double row of tiny lights on the floor. She walked for a short way, and muttered under her breath "what the hell am I supposed to see, genius?"

"I heard that." Came the indignant voice of her father, who seemed to be right behind her. "And in answer to your question, this." At that moment, the lights came on, and Usagi took an involuntary step back.

"Evangelion Unit One!" came a proud voice from the doorway. Tearing her eyes from the gigantic helmeted face, she saw a woman in a lab coat that looked vaguely familiar walk towards them. Recognition played across the elder Ikari's face. "Maya, what a surprise! You still work here?"

She had short black hair and a roundish face. "Of course, someone had to take over project E when Sempai Akagi left." At the mention of that name, she sighed. "So its Doctor Ibuki now." Looking down at Usagi, the doctor smiled. "Evangelion, or EVA for short, is a biomechanical fighting machine. To work, however, it needs a human inside it to pilot it. This particular Eva is the only surviving member of the fourteen units ever created. Unit zero was the prototype, and it was piloted by Rei Ayanami, the first child, your mother. It was destroyed when your mother self-destructed it to eliminate the first angel. These Evangelions are the only thing that can successfully battle and destroy the angels. Unit two, which was destroyed defending the Geofront in a massive battle against UN forces, was piloted by Asuka, the second child." She sighed miserably at the memory of the battle. " it was all because SEELE lied to the UN, saying we were the ones trying to start third impact, which was a load of crap.

Unit one here was piloted by Shinji here, the third child. Out of all of them, this has had by far the most combat experience, even though it was only the test type. Unit three was piloted by Touji Suzahara, but..."

"Hey, mister Suzahara's my gym teacher!" Usagi exclaimed, cutting into the doctor's little speech. "You mean he actually fought those angels?"

"Err, not quite," doctor Ibuki suddenly became very interested in her shoelaces. "Turned out to be that unit three was an angel, and Touji was badly injured when we had unit one... deal with it.

Unit four never even had a pilot, because it blew up while the American branch of NERV were testing its S2 inner system engine."

"It had a pilot" Shinji suddenly interjected, startling Usagi, who had all but forgotten he was there. "Karou Nagisa, the fifth child." The words seemed to hurt her father, but she didn't know why. "He was an Angel, the seventeenth, and I... killed him."

Usagi looked up at him, wondering why he took it so personally with this particular Angel, and not the others. Trying to break the uncomfortable silence, she asked "and the others?" and prepared for a lot of talking. Instead all she got was " they were controlled by SEELE, and piloted by clones. We destroyed them." The doc looked grim. "Anyway, enough past history. We don't have a plug suit made for you yet, but you'll need these," she said, throwing what looked to be a pair of hairclips to her. Putting them in her hair, Usagi felt very uncomfortable, with the doctor, the Eva, even her father.

"We will test your synch rate in the Eva to start with, but that won't be necessary the next time. But for now, hop in."

"Hop in where?"

From a pocket in her lab coat, Maya Ibuki brought out a remote control, and pressed the button. A large chunk of armour on the thing's back moved, and a long, white cylinder came into view. A hatch in said cylinder opened, revealing a reclining seat and a pair of control sticks.

"get in, and get comfortable." Was all her dad had to say. Usagi gulped.

"Well, this isn't too bad." Was all Usagi said, once she had been settled into the strange 'plug'. "I would of thought that the controls were more complex, but this looks easy!"

"Err, not being to bad is about to change, princess," came her father's voice over the comlink "And Eva is controlled mainly by the mind. Those controls are only as a guide while your synch rate is low."

"Worse?"

"Just breathe normally. LCL may taste bad, but you'll get used to it."

"LCL?"

"It helps your synch rate, and oxygenates your lungs directly."

Before Usagi could ask any more questions, the plug began to fill with a thick, amber liquid. When the level reached her head, she automatically held her breath.

"Just breathe it in. It won't hurt you." The elder Ikari's voice on the other end of the comlink sounded strange, due to the LCL. "I know it tastes bad, but we can't change the flavour. Sorry princess."

Indeed, once she had taken a few tentative lung-fulls of the LCL, Usagi had to agree. It did taste bad. Almost like....blood!

"Daddy, this tastes like blood. Why?"

The other voice on the bridge went quiet in a trail of mumbling. However, doctor Ibuki must have taken the com, as it was her voice Usagi heard next.

"We will be starting synch tests now. You will see the walls of the plug turn different colours, and if you successfully synch with the Eva, you will be able to see outside the Eva."

The walls of the plug Usagi was in started swirling with changing colours, leaving the teen with a blazing headache, so she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found that the doc had been quite accurate. For not only could she see outside the Eva, the LCL had turned perfectly clear. If every breath didn't remind her it was there, she would have sworn there was only air between her and the walls.

"Well done, pilot Usagi. Your synch rate is higher than your father's was when he first piloted, if that means anything to you."

"Yeah, well NERV isn't being attacked by an angel now, is it?" returned her dad on the intercom. "Little different from my first time, don't you think?"

"What? They sent you up in this thing to fight on your first time?" Usagi was dumbfounded. 

"Heh, well, they didn't have another pilot capable of taking my place. Before I came, your mother was the only pilot in the building, and she was injured at the time."

"Ok, Usagi, time up. Take a shower, and go home. You better get a good night's sleep, 'cause Eva pilots still have to go to school. And then there is all the synch tests, battle training, weapon management classes, and you need to memorise all the different supply depots situated around Tokyo-3, just to say a few things you'll need to learn."

Usagi groaned.

The door opened.

Susami Suzahara looked up, as a very, tired and dejected- looking Usagi walked in, and practically feel into her seat. After which her head hit the table, and started snoring slightly.

"Err, are you ok, Usagi?"

"...Mmpphh..."

"I'll take that as a no, hmm?"

"..."

"C'mon, Usagi, class starts any minute now, so get up!"

With that, Usagi lifted her head off the table, and said slowly and clearly, so it was impossible to mis-understand,

"If you don't let me sleep, I will find some way of torturing you until you wish you were dead."

Susami only smirked at her friend, and continued to bait her. She knew that Usagi's constant death threats were hollow, so she sure as hell wasn't scared this time.

"Dammit, Susami, just 'cause your dad is our gym teacher doesn't mean you can just torment your own best friend to death. I'M TIRED!!!!"

"So?"

"Jezz, this is all I need. First dad wakes me up at four-thirty yesterday, then he makes me get int..." Usagi's skin paled at the secret she had almost let out.

"Get you into what?" Susami asked suspiciously. She could always tell when someone was hiding something from her, and Usagi was a terrible liar. She fixed her gaze straight onto Usagi's face. "Well?"

"Ermm, nothing?"

"Wrong answer. Nice try, girlfriend, but ya gotta do better than that to fool me. Actually it was a lousy try, so ya gotta do even better, for thinking I'm an idiot."

Her friend just cringed, and whispered back to her in a guilty voice, 

"Ok, but it's a secret. You can't tell anyone."

Sasami glanced up as the teacher walked in.

"Tell me at lunch."

"Fine" was the answer to her friend, as they started to fall into a deeply boring geography lesson.

"Bullshit."

"It's true! Honest!"

"You've got ten seconds to either change your story or make me believe you, or some of my dad's old 'interrogative' techniques will get practiced."

Usagi gulped. She had seen these same techniques used firsthand, and had no desire to experience them. She started umming and ahhing whilst Sasami started an impatient countdown.

"Ten."

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven."

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One. Sorry Usagi, but liars must be punished." She grabbed her, and pinned her down. Usagi half-screamed, half-whimpered as her longest, best friend started to build up saliva in her mouth.

BAMMPPP, BAMMPPP, BAMMPP!!!!

"What the hell?" Usagi started to breathe a sigh of relief as Susami spun her head away from her, but caught it again as she realized the implications of that loud, blaring alarm that had begun to play across Tokyo-3. She could feel the blood leave her face, and a cold sweat run down her back.

"An..An.. ANGEL!!!" she screamed, as she finally got hear voice back under control. "You don't believe me, come and see for yourself!" Usagi put as much venom as she could in her voice, considering she was still under the receiver of the verbal assault. She pushed Sasami off her, grabbed her hand, and dragged her at a run to the nearest NERV entrance.

"Ok, Ok, maybe you were telling the truth." Came Susami's voice, panting from the run. They were in an elevator, heading straight for the Eva cage. The elevator that was near the school had only two destinations: where they were going, and the surface.

"No shit, Sherlock. You think the inside of an elevator looks cool, jut wait till you see what's at the end of it." As Usagi shot this remark at her friend, she took out the dark green nervelinks out of her pocket and put them in her hair.

BING!

When the elevator stopped, the doors opened and the two girls ran out. Straight down the corridor and through the door was the Eva cage.

"WHOA!"

Usagi smirked at Susami.

"Go to the bridge, and watch the show!" she said, climbing into the plug.

"Where's the...." Susami was cut off as the white capsule closed, cutting out all sound. There was a slurp as the plug was drilled into the Eva, and the armour plating closed.

"...Bridge?" she finished. Obviously not getting an answer, she picked a random direction and left.

"Coolant draining complete."

"Removing primary restraints."

"Removing secondary restraints."

"Moving Eva to the launch pad."

Misato grinned. It was just like twenty years ago, only the voices were different. Twenty years and the launch sequence is almost the same, she thought.

"Clearing launch path"

Correction, exactly the same.

"Evangelion unit one is ready for launching." This time instead of Maya Ibuki, it was Kensuke Aida.

Taking a deep breath, first commander Katsuragi began,

"LAU... Mmph!"

"Sorry Misato, but that's my job now." Second commander Soryu stated, removing her hand from the mouth of a very irate Misato.

"LAUNCH EVANGELION UNIT ONE!"

At that command, Usagi Ikari shot upwards in her Eva towards her first battle, and felt damn queasy from motion sickness.

END CHAPTER ONE

Will Usagi triumph in her first ever battle, with only a single day of training, or does she launch to her doom? Find out in the next chapter of Evangelion: 2035, Rage Of Lillith!

Author's notes: well, maybe this version makes a little more sense than the old one, no? Well, I hope you have enjoyed this, now on to the next chapter! big drumroll


	2. Rage of Lillith

EVANGELION: 2035

Hehehe….well, I guess I should do a disclaimer for this, eh?

Oh well, everyone knows I don't own EVA… because my secret identity is NOT Gainex…

CHAPTER TWO: RAGE OF LILLITH

"LAUNCH EVANGELION UNIT ONE!"

"Hey major!" shouted an irate computer technician nearby, (who just happened to be Kensuke Aida) "We're right here! You don't need to yell!"

Asuka gave her underling a death glare, which shut him up, and turned her attention to the gigantic holographic tactical screen, in time to see a gigantic, purple monster erupt from out of the launch tube, only to be stopped abruptly by the final safety locks.

"Talk to me, HQ." Came Usagi's voice over the communicator.

"From the rate of movement the Angel has shown over the past two minutes, we can expect it on your position in three-point-five minutes."

"Releasing final safety locks" another technician called, as the shoulder clamps released the Eva, and the launch rails sunk back into the ground.

Usagi sounded calm as she came over the com again, but all in the room could feel the tension in it.

"Any... any idea what it can do?"

"Sorry, but we don't have any information on the state of the Angel or it's abilities."

"Not even a picture?"

"Heh, Now that we can do. Hold on."

Commander Soryu clicked off the com, and started issuing orders. Opening the link again, she asked,

"You got that?"

"Yes, but it's kinda blurry."

Asuka smirked as she told the young pilot "yes, that's because the camera that took it, and the recon plane it was on, was destroyed shortly after. The crew were pissbolting outta there."

"Oh."

Meanwhile, in the cockpit.......

Usagi's hands sweated. Of course, she couldn't feel it, because of the LCL, but she knew they were. She was having a hard time keeping her composure, and not start screaming hysterically. I'm better than dad was, aren't I? Everyone said so, didn't they? Dad beat that first monster on his first day, so shouldn't I do the same? Usagi's thoughts were just making the situation worse. Dammit, pull yourself together! Remember those karate lessons mum wanted me to do? She thought desperately. No, wait, don't remember that. I sucked at that. Thinking she could do it wasn't working at all, so she reverted to plain not thinking about it.

Did it work? HELL NO!

The young pilot sighed. I wish the bloody thing would hurry up, and get this thing over and done with.

"Pilot Ikari"

"Yes?" this voice was unfamiliar to Usagi.

"Angel's ETA, thirty seconds."

"Roger."

Ok, checklist. Full and unrestricted movement of limbs, check. Full field of vision, check. Dirty great big cannon right next to me, check.

"ETA ten seconds"

Usagi grabbed the assault rifle (well, it was Unit one, but she was in control.) and started looking for the Angel. Ten seconds came and went. Then she saw it, looming over the hills of the Tokai region. She choked when she had a good look at it.

The thing before her was jet black and very evil looking. It was roughly humanoid, with spindly arms and legs, and two bat-like wings coming out of its shoulders. The only colour on it was its face, a teardrop-shaped piece of yellow with two hollow eyes, and a glowing red orb on its chest. Usagi was hit by a case of deja vu: she had seen this before. In her dream.

"Eeepppp........"

"Ok, Usagi," Second Commander Soryu's voice filled the plug. "When it comes into range, aim the rifle at it and wait for the reticule to centre. When it centres, and only when it centres, fire." 

"Hai"

The thing began walking towards Tokyo-3 in general and, in Usagi's opinion, her in particular. She raised the oversized weapon, and placed the butt firmly on her shoulder. Immediately, the targeting computer came online, and started searching for a target. Not finding one, she started to whine to NERV HQ.

"It's not working. This piece of shit's broken!"

"No it's not!" some random technician shot back "There's a little thing called maximum range, and the angel is WAYYYYY out of it."

Usagi growled into the comm, and switched her attention to the Angel. Damn that thing walks slow... hang on, its stopped. I wonder...

"USAGI!!! MOVE!!!" Asuka screamed over the comm. 

"Whaaa..."

BOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

"We're detecting a high energy buildup within the Angel's core!!!"

Asuka swore. She stole a spit-second glance at the Ikaris, seeing their reaction to this news. Shinji was petrified, and as for wondergirl... she looked pissed. Asuka's eyes widened in shock to see Rei showing any kind of emotion, but hey! Her kid was up there.

"USAGI!!! MOVE!!!!" she screamed through the communicator. But it was too late.

BBBBOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

The screen that they were watching went white, and the MAGI computer alarms went haywire.

"Damage report!" snarled Asuka at the technicians.

"The entire of the front half of the Eva's armour has been totally wiped out, and the back half has been melted down to the bottom layer!" Aida reported quickly, barely believing that a single attack could do so much damage. "As for the pilot, she's unconscious. It's looking bad out there." He added that to push his point.

Asuka swore.

"What's the status of the Angel?" she asked another tech who was monitoring it.

"It has resumed it's course towards Usagi at double pace. It seems to want a kill out of this" he hurried his report, because his superior was looking like killing the nearest living thing that annoyed her.

"Enough."

All heads in the room swiveled to see the person whom had made that comment, and they did not like what they saw.

Rei Ikari was literally glowing with divine anger. The light she let off cast a shadow across every face and control panel. The only part of her that wasn't glowing white was her eyes, and they shone with an evil brightness. When she spoke again, it was a voice so intense in hatred for the monster that had hurt her daughter, that it sent a cold shiver down the necks of all in earshot, and several people fainted. Even Asuka paled.

"Lucifer." She stated, referring to the angel by it's name (although how she knew it's name, nobody knew.) "Your ass is mine."

The Angelic ex-pilot expanded her AT field, uncaring for the fact that stacks of papers, coffee mugs, and Kensuke's glasses were all blown away. Pearly white wings shot out of her back, and she started to shine even brighter.

"Rei.... No...."

But the pleas of her husband fell on deaf ears. Clothing exploded away from her, but if anyone wanted a look (such as Aida and all you perverted hentai fanboys out there), the light was so intense nothing except a faint, human looking shape could be seen.

"But... you don't have a...."

yet again, Shinji Ikari's words seemed to have absolutely no affect on the enraged angel.

Rei lifted off the ground and started towards the nearest elevator shaft. No-one even thought of trying to stop her. When she reached her destination, she calmly raised her hand and, with a slight flick of the wrist, tore the door right out of its frame. Moving past this area of destruction, Rei went into the shaft, and with a sonic boom trailing her, shot towards the surface, leaving molten pieces of blast doors and other offending obstacles to fall in her wake.

The Angel that had hurt her baby, her first-born child, was going to pay. Bigtime.

Usagi stirred, her vision clouded with pain. She felt like she had just been run over by a truck convoy, then dragged behind the ambulance. Damn that hurts!! She wanted to just cry out in pain, but her voice seemed to have shut down. Clearing her vision with a shake of her head, and looking up, she instantly regretted doing so. Towering above her, and only three blocks away, was the Angel.

Shit. Was the only thing that ran through her mind. She tried to stand her Eva up, but it was unresponsive.

Oh...Shitohshitohshitohshitohshit...

KABOOOOMMM!!!

A great cross-shaped explosion rent the air between her and her death. After it dissipated, and the smoke had cleared, Usagi saw an almighty great big hole in the ground in front of her.

"Waddafuck?" she asked, the pain slurring her speech. Then she was answered, by a small figure, with gigantuan wings, every part of which was glowing white. Except for the eyes. It turned slightly, to see the huge, humanoid bundle of blood, guts and little pieces of melted armour. Usagi was hit by recognition.

"MOM?" the pain seemed to go away at the shock of seeing her mother floating in front of her. (Of course, we all know that it definitely was Mrs. Ikari, so unless you're incredibly stupid, you shouldn't be surprised.) The angelic figure turned away, to face the monster that Usagi was to fight. Usagi was again hit by a wave of pain, and took her only way out. She fainted.

Lucifer!!!! Rei shouted at the angel before her with as much conviction and hatred possible using telepathy. If any human had heard it, the sheer psychic force of it would have been fatal. The angel, however, looked right back at her and thought back.

Ah! Little one! The angel without a core. How humiliating. I have heard much about you from Tabris. Before he was driven from Heaven, that is.

Rei's eyes opened wide. That thing knew her weakness! And Tabris.... She made the connection. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Kaoru Nagisa was killed twenty years ago. You lie.

The angel seemed to laugh, but all the noise that came from it was a horrible screeching noise.

Ha! The third child may have killed his physical body, but his soul lived on. He was banished from heaven, and his formidable power contained.

Rei tired of this communication. Raising her petite hand she screamed the word, both physically and mentally, "DIE!"

And with that, condensed her AT field into one giant ball of pure destructive energy, and launched it at the object of her hatred.

The explosion that opened up the street was like a firecracker going off compared to this. Even the Angel's particle beam attack paled in comparison to Rei's AT energy blast.

A huge flash lit up on the holographic display, to be replaced by static a millisecond later. All the staff threw their arms in front of their face, to protect their eyes. Then the shockwave hit. Coffee mugs not shattered by Rei's anger had their hopes for survival snuffed out, and people were thrown around the room. Then it stopped, with a deathly calm after it. Temporarily blinded, commander Katsuragi yelled at no one in particular.

"Status report!"

There was a sound of fumbling around, until someone regained their sight and their seat.

"All sensors within a kilometer radius off-line, due to electromagnetic interference." The tech reported. "Switching to secondary sensor arrays."

Everyone expectantly looked up at the screen, as one by one they regained use of their eyes. A fuzzy image came up, but little could be seen. Then it clarified, showing a piece of real estate even the devil himself wouldn't want. A yawning crater, easily 500 meters in diameter, was in the same spot the Angel was. On one edge, a large bloody pulp that could be identified as Unit-01 could be seen. Near the centre of the crater, was the small, white figure recognizable as Rei. The glow had left her, as had her wings.

"Rei...." Came the tortured whisper from behind Misato. She nearly jumped out of her skin, because she had forgotten he was there. Turning around, she saw that his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked ready to cry. Looking closer, she saw something disturbing in his expression. When she realized who he reminded her of, she shuddered. Turning back quickly, she noticed how quiet it was: the alarms had stopped. As the sensors came back online, different techs began to report damage and the like.

"Unit-01's body integrity down 5 since explosion, regeneration normal." Said one.

"No sign of Angel. Completely destroyed." Called another.

"Pilot life signs normal, she's fine if unconscious, and a little bruised." Reported Aida.

"What about Wond... I mean, what about Rei?" ordered Asuka. She looked at her old flatmate with fear, wondering how he was going to take the news his beloved wife was de...

"Picking up faint life-signs from Rei. She appears to be in a coma."

Asuka inwardly sighed with relief. She wasn't looking forward to a psyched-out Shinji Ikari.

"Start damage assessment of Tokyo-3. And recover the Eva and it's pilot ASAP! Movemovemove!" Asuka got back into her usual routine, the one she was an expert at. Giving orders, yelling, using physical violence to get her point across, and yelling some more.

There was a flurry of movement as NERV personnel started to follow her orders, and there was a buildup of noise as various aspects of the battle and it's aftermath were reported.

"Commander! Unit-01's pilot is waking up!"

"QUIET!" screamed Misato. Automatically, the entire room went silent. Nobody was moving, many caught in half-stride.

"What's her status?" Misato asked more calmly.

"She's waking up, and brain patterns seem normal." Came the reply from a frightened Tech.

"Good. Has Rei's condition changed?"

"No ma'am. She has stabilized, but brain activity has not altered."

"Send out a med. team pronto. Get her into the infirmity as quickly as possible."

"Yes ma'am."

Asuka took a deep breath, and calmed herself. Well, she thought to her, it's over.

"Good job, people."

Everyone in the room stared at her in amazement. That was the first thing even approaching a compliment anyone had ever heard issue from their 2nd-in-command. Maybe it was just the stress let out.

BAAAAMMMPPPP! BAAAAMMMPPPP! BAAAAMMm.......

The alarms, which had just started, seemingly for no reason, stopped just as abruptly. There was a heated moment, when everyone rushed to check monitors for the reason for the Angel alarm going off.

"Report!" yelled Asuka, at no-one in particular.

The only person brave/stupid enough to reply was Kensuke Aida.

"We just had the AT sensors pick up something, for a moment." He sounded genuinely puzzled. "But then the signal stopped."

"What was it?" The annoyance in her voice was easily picked up.

"I don't know. We're working on it."

Asuka kept her expression the same, to mask her moment of fear. Perhaps it was just a malfunction? Yeah, that's what it was! Her reasoning bought her back to her senses. That's all we need. Another angel.

The air was cold, due to the fact it was blowing in from the mountains, and the wind was strong. Overlooking the city of Tokyo-3, the boy standing on the crest of the hill took little notice of either the wind or the cold, except that his silvery-grey hair was blowing into his eyes. He was looking down at his destination, and though he had no idea why he had come here, he knew it was right. Hands balled up into fists, and blood-red eyes narrowed, he thought; who are you, Shinji Ikari? Where are you?

And the being, known only to himself as Tabris, walked slowly down the hill.

END CHAPTER TWO

Will Usagi recover fully from her traumatic experience piloting Eva? Is Rei Ayanami gone for good? And why has Tabris returned, without any memories save the name of Shinji Ikari?

Find out, in the next episode of EVANGELION: 2035- An Angel Reborn!!!

Author's notes: well, I guess I really SHOULD be thanking my muse jimmy for helping me with this fiction… but I'm not going to.


	3. An Angel Reborn

EVANGELION: 2035

CHAPTER 3: AN ANGEL REBORN

Misato Katsuragi sat back heavily in her chair, and brushed back a lock of purple hair, spotted with grey. _Better dye it again, I suppose_, she thought, not much capable of anything else at that moment. The cleanup and recovery of Unit one was taking time, and that was only one of the myriad of things NERV's Commander-In-Chief had to oversee.

The crater left over from Rei Ikari's forceful AT-field attack needed to be filled in, for example. The explosion that had caused it was concentrated over a small area, so damage was minimal, but nobody wanted a big hole in the middle of Tokyo-3. Misato shook her head, and turned to Second Commander Soryu. In the years since the failed Third Impact, the young hothead had calmed down slightly, and now had a fuse to her temper, instead of a proximity detonator she used to have on the N-2 mine that was Asuka. She had grown into a perfect second- in-command, and had taken the attack into her stride. She was now organising the entire of NERV's operative staff with a ruthless efficiency, and they both admired and feared her for it.

"Well, that got interesting," Misato started, when the report on the EVA cleanup had been finished.

"Hell yes. Just like the old days, isn't it?"

"Except you're stuck down here."

"Only because those UN bakas won't give us the funds we need to properly fix Unit two!"

"They will now, Asuka. But I doubt you'll be it's pilot." Misato enjoyed the reaction those words brought out in her 2nd. Her blue eyes widened in shock, then narrowed down to slits.

"What do you mean, commander?" she asked in mocking tones. When she didn't get an answer immediately, she started to get angry.

"Do you remember after Third Impact, when all the pilots had a synch test for the Merdoc report?"

"Yeah.."

"No-one ever told any of you this, but you can no longer synch with EVA. Neither can Shinji or Rei."

Asuka was taken aback with this. She opened her mouth to say something, but whatever it was, it was cut off as an elevator door opened, and a burst of profanity filled Central Dogma.

"Dammit, you mother-fucking bastard! Let me go! Gyyiiaa!" "Ahhhh!!!" came the reply of the security guard. When the owners of the voices stumbled out of the elevator, the scene in front of Misato was interesting, to say the least. A teen, about Usagi's age, she guessed, was biting and scratching a member of NERV security. Three more of his colleges came to his rescue, and subdued the girl by sitting on her.

"Susami, how the hell did you get all the way down here?" Kensuke Aida asked, when she had calmed down.

"No, wait, let me guess. Usagi, right?" The girl's eyes widened at the sight of her Dad's best friend. She started to stammer an apology.

"Wh..when the sirens went of, I didn't believe her when she said she needed to go to NERV. I followed her, and. Got lost." Misato sighed. She would have to talk to Usagi about bringing friends down here, when she returned from visiting her mother in hospital. Poor girl. Has to go up and fight an Angel, then sees her mum nearly kill herself trying to save her.

"Lieutenant Aida, please contact Touji and Hikari that their daughter is here, and safe. I have a feeling that they would lay siege on NERV headquarters if you don't." Kensuke ginned. He had that same thought as well.

"I'm on it." When the technician had led the teen away, and the crowd had dispersed, Misato picked back up the conversation.

"You know, now that the UN will give us all the funds we need, I think we should equip Units one and two with E-type equipment, instead of the old B- type. A colour change might be in hand too..." she trailed off there, knowing the reaction to that provocation was only a matter of milliseconds. She was surprised, however, by the lack of such.

"It would be stupid to fit them with B-type, it's just plain out of date. And I never really liked that purple colour for Unit one."

"What about two?" Misato asked slyly. She wanted a reaction, no matter what. Asuka just shrugged.

"I don't see what's wrong with red, but it's your call, Misato. If I'm not piloting anymore, I couldn't care less what you do to it." "Speaking of which, we need another pilot."

The hospital ward smelled. clean. Too clean, in Usagi's opinion. She hated the smell of hospitals, and now she was in one. She looked back down at the pale figure in the bed in front of her. There were no wounds showing on Rei Ikari's body, but she was hooked up to every life-monitor and machines that go 'Bing' under the sun. She was in a coma, but the NERV doctors wouldn't tell her any more than that. Usagi's father, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what was going on, but he wasn't in any condition to tell anyone anything. She sighed. She wanted to run, run from the being who had given her life, and saved it, but couldn't. Usagi looked sideways, and saw again her father, Shinji Ikari, holding his wife's hand, fighting back tears. She looked away, uncertain what to say or do. "Pilot Ikari report to central dogma for debriefing" came the announcement over the loudspeakers. Relief mixed with anxiety played through the teen's head. She walked towards the door, and looked once more at her parents. Her father hadn't even noticed she was gone.

It was a loooong time before Usagi was able to get out from under the gaze of her commanding officers. She had felt guilty for the entire time, as her part in the battle was only going down and leaking blood all over Tokyo-3. Time for a shower, She mused, as she headed to the surface in an elevator. She stretched tired muscles. And about ten hours of sleep. Usagi was unable to shake the constant, nagging thought that she had forgotten something, but her over-worked brain couldn't come up with the answer. She walked home, and in the deepening gloom, she still couldn't figure it out. And when her head hit her pillow, half an hour later, she didn't think anything.

It was a tired Usagi Ikari that walked through the doorway of Tokyo-3 municipal high, a week after the events. She looked around the class once, noting three more empty chairs than the day before. Families were leaving the city, and going to stay with relatives until it was safe again. Thankfully, she noticed, the Suzaharas were not one of the families. She knew that Susami's dad wanted to go, but her mother didn't let him. Something about leaving friends alone, Sasami had told her. She was still a bit sheepish about getting her best friend in trouble, but it was smoothed over. Usagi had kept her friend up-to-date in NERV affairs, despite being cautioned against it. They both were feeling a little safer since the attack, as Usagi was informed that Unit one's repairs were finished. She hadn't seen it yet, but Usagi had kept an ear out for rumours from the techs. Apparently, it had a few modifications on its old armour. She sat down in her chair, and immediately started to talk to Sasami. Tired or no, she had a new titbit of information she had to tell her.

"Hey, there's another EVA ready now. NERV's looking for a pilot!" "No kidding! What's it look like?" came the exited reply.

"No idea. I heard that Asuka used to pilot it, but they had to rebuild it."

"Asuka, as in your cool godmother who works at NERV?"

"The one and only. I wonder who the new pilot will be?"

"If it's a he, and he's gorgeous, he's mine."

"Too late, I got first dibs." She winked. "Pilot's privilege, you know." "Yeah, right! You made that up just then!"

"Soooo..?" Further argument was cut off as the teacher walked in, and the class rep told the class to rise, bow and be seated.

Usagi giggled. She and Susami were walking home, and sharing the local gossip. Looking straight ahead, as they neared a corner, Susami suddenly lost her humour.

"Someone's following us. I've been keeping an eye on this guy, and I'm sure of it."

"Really? What does he look like?" Usagi's voice had lost none of it's joy, Sasami had tricked her like this before.

"I'm not kidding, baka. When we turn this corner, you'll see this weird- looking guy follow us. Now that I think about it, does your mom have a brother?"

"Noooo."

"Well, he kinda looks like her. Same eyes, but with different hair." "Right. Whatever you say." Usagi stayed sceptical. When they reached the corner, she glanced back the way they had come. Sure enough, there was nobody there. "Nice try, Susa. No one there. Look!" Sasami turned around, eyes wide with shock.

"He was right there! I swear!"

"Excuse me, but do you know anyone by the name of Shinji Ikari?" The two girls spun around. The man fitting the description Sasami gave was leaning up against a wall in front of them. "How. You.." Sasami spluttered.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but you look like an old friend, and you have. certain features belonging to another." Sufficiently recovered from the shock, Usagi was able to half-choke out a reply.

"Shinji Ikari's my dad. How do you know him?" The man shrugged. "I'm not sure. I remember very little of my time here."

"Why were you following us?" an irate Susami demanded from the stranger.

"To ask that question."

"Who are you, anyway?" Usagi inquired. The man seemed lost in thought, as if trying to remember his own name. She would of thought him a nutcase had he not asked after her father.

"Just call me Tabris." Tabris? What kind of name is that? Usagi pondered.

"Would it be possible to meet with your father sometime?"

"Err.." She began. Since the attack, he had spent most of his time either at the hospital, or at NERV.

"Well, he should be home now.." He smiled.

"My thanks. It has been a very long time since we last saw each other, and we didn't part on exactly the best of terms."

"Why?" Sasami butted in, "did you have a fight?" He gave a rueful smile in return.

"Something like that."

Susami walked all the way to the Ikari residence, mainly because she didn't trust this Tabris person. She didn't know why, but something about him wasn't right. She only left when Usagi shooed her away, saying she would be alright. _Damn straight I will_. She thought, seeing her friend off. Turning she saw an expectant Tabris waiting for her, walking past him, she opened the door.

"Dad, there's someone here to see you!"

"Who is it?" came the dull voice in the kitchen. Whenever he had something going badly, he cooked. There was a never-ending supply of good food at their house, at the moment. The other reason Susami didn't want to go, she reflected.

"He said he's one of your old friends. His name's Tabris."  
Suddenly, there was a wide-eyed Shinji Ikari standing in the kitchen doorway, Staring at Tabris. His skin was pale, and his breathing was becoming more ragged with each intake.

"No.. You. I." he stammered.

"Shinji Ikari." The man began.  
Usagi's father took three steps towards them, grabbed her by the back of her shirt and spun her around behind him.  
"Stay away, Angel!!!!" He roared, fist clenched into a fist. Usagi was scared, she had never seen her father so pissed off before. Tabris cocked his head to one side.

"I wish to know where your anger comes from, not to mention why myself I came here."  
"I killed you," Shinji began, in a near whisper. "I trusted you, and  
you turned out to be... one of them!!!" he spat out the last word in contempt. "Go away, Kaoru. Leave us alone.." He was almost pleading, now. "I hate you, Kaoru Nagisa. I hate you."

"You sound like.. Someone I knew. Her name I cannot recall."

"Do you think I care, Angel?"

"I don't know. I can't remember."

"What do you mean, you can't remember? I remember too much of what happened." His voice was rising, and getting heated.

"Would you care to explain it to me, Shinji Ikari?" There was an awkward silence, with Usagi looking between her father and a man who by all means shouldn't exist. Slowly, a spark of understanding lit in a face full of hatred.

"You really can't remember? Anything?" Tabris, or Kaoru, Usagi didn't know which, shook his head in denial. Looking up, his stony expression softened.

"Only small glimpses of my past life. After you told me my name, I recovered a small part of my memory. Like-wise, your anger reminded me of someone. I know she was full of anger." He looked wistful, trying to remember more.

"Her hair was, blond. No, red. I think the colour red had some significance there." A faint shadow of a smile flickered across Shinji's mouth. His eyes seemed to light up, with hidden happiness underneath.

"That sounds just like Asuka. Her Eva was red."

"Asuka.." He seemed to try the name out, speaking slowly. "Yes, that was the name. Other things are becoming clear, piece by piece. Like Eva.. I did something with the thing called Eva. I." suddenly Kaoru's eyes widened, and his hand shot up to his neck. "No. I didn't.." fear was etched into his face. "So that is why you hate me so. I betrayed your trust, and you were forced to kill me." Turning around, he stumbled over to the sofa, and collapsed, head in hands. "Mr Tabris? Are you ok?" asked a meek Usagi. He looked thoroughly miserable.

"So many memories, all at once." He lifted his head quickly, eyes wide. "I have remembered something of great importance. We must go straight to..." he struggled with the name for a moment, before finishing. "NERV. There are more messengers."

"Angels? We've already defeated one so far." Piped up Usagi, feeling more comfortable in Kaoru's presence. His eyes narrowed at that remark.

"Lucifer? He was a weak fool. I thought he would be the first to go after I was banished from heaven."

"Do you. know how many there will be?" inquired Shinji. Kaoru shook his head.

"No, but I do know the reason they are coming."

"Go on." Kaoru sighed. "They believe that humanity should be punished for meddling in powers they shouldn't. I also know that at one stage, the angel of death will come. When he comes, the. I believe the term is 'fat lady will sing'. Nothing will survive his arrival. We have probably six months or more until then, with several attacks in that timeframe." He shrugged. "At least, we should."

"What do you mean we, Mr Angel-of-free-will?" asked Shinji, with an edge of smugness in his voice, something Usagi hadn't ever heard before. Kaoru's eyes narrowed at this.

"I'm no longer counted as an Angel, Shinji. An S-2 I may still have, and an AT field, but my powers are still far less than before." Usagi was still feeling a bit muddled about some things, like the fact she had an angel sitting in her house, which had apparently come back from the dead, and wanted to help them. Lost in her own thoughts, she wandered off into her room to leave the adults to talk on old times, or whatever they were talking about now.

"Please try to concentrate, Usagi." came the tired voice over the com, stirring the pilot from a state of half-sleep. She opened her eyes and replied

"Sorry, miss Ibuki. I'll try." The doctor smiled as she started the final stage of the synch test. She could remember when sempai had done the same, all those years before. When Ritsuko had left, right after the MP EVAs had been defeated, she had taken on the role of ops director of project E. not that there was much to do, when there were no Angels to fight, but Maya had clung on. The pay wasn't the best she could get, but she didn't want to leave, even when all her old workmates had left. Both Hyuga and Aoba had gone to better jobs, but they had kept in touch. Hyuga was in software design for Microsoft, and Aoba had joined Dell, which was making millions. Maya sighed. She wanted those two here now, the ones who knew the most about the MAGI after her. Above all, she wanted their reassuring presence in central dogma. She shook herself mentally, and went back to her work. "Hiya, Doc." Turning, she saw the most proficient spy in the world, who in his day had infiltrated NERV at the hight of its power. Now retired, the commander had asked him to come in to have his expertise in information gathering to good use. The aging Ryoji Kaji strolled into the room, coming to stand next to Maya. "Are you Authorized to be here?" she asked uncertainly, knowing what the answer was likely to be. Kaji shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably not, but that didn't stop me." Maya rolled her eyes.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" The object of her inquiry raked a hand through hair going grey, and grinned.

"Except for a heightened modesty, not really."

"Modesty? Well, that's a change." She put as much scepticism into her voice as possible. Kaji just grinned again.

"Fine, I don't have a modest bone in my body. Are you happy now?" he finally admitted after a disapproving glare from Maya. She smiled, and turned back to her work.

Kaoru smirked. He had been able to talk Ikari into letting him come to NERV, to see the commander. The stunned silence following his entry into the room had been going on for at least three or four minutes now, with commander Katsuragi opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, and the red-headed ex-pilot's hands twitching, a look of fury in her eyes. _Well, I DID kinda steal her Eva, didn't I_? He reasoned, keeping a relatively large distance between them, and close to the door. I might be an ex-angel, but this is Asuka he was dealing with. He wasn't stupid. Kaoru just stood there, warily watching death incarnate out of the corner of his eye, and said nothing. _Ok, Shinji, help would be appreciated_.

"Err.. You remember Kaoru Nagisa, right?" asked a tentative voice from the corner, making Misato jump slightly.

"I, um. yeah.."

"Well, he has information about the angels he wishes to share." "Considering he IS one, I bet he does." Came the sarcastic reply from Asuka, with enough venom in her voice to kill two-thirds of the world's population.

"That assumption is incorrect, miss Soryu. I am no longer counted as an angel."

"YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!!!! HOW COULD YOU NOT BE, YOU FUCKING BASTARD?" yelled Asuka, causing him to step back involuntarily.

"I was banished from heaven, with much of my powers withdrawn. I may still have an AT field, and my S2 organ is still in place, but I am no longer as powerful as before." Much of this was said with extreme speed, as if his very life was dependant on it. Asuka started muttering something foul involving the repeated use of 'stupid fucking Eva-stealing bakas', whilst Misato just stared. _Well, this is decidingly uncomfortable_ Kaoru mused, still careful of the old pilot of unit 02. maybe I might want to leave. This decision was reached with alarming speed, mainly because of the burning hatred in subcommander Asuka's eyes, and the death-glare from same. _But how to leave_. His question was answered, and was literally saved by the bell. The Angel warning siren could be called a bell, can't it?

"Ok, what's the situation here? I hear the damn sirens, but I don't see any Angels." Misato turned, to see an annoyed sixth child walk up to her, dressed in a school uniform. "I was told to come see you, instead of going to my EVA. What's the deal?"

"Have you been given your new plugsuit yet?"

"No.." Misato smiled

"You'll like it. Go to the pilot's locker rooms, and get changed. Meet back at Central Dogma for mission briefing."

"Umm. ok." When Usagi's back had disappeared in the direction of the locker rooms, Misato's face split into an evil-looking grin.

"Just wait 'till you see unit one, Usagi."

"Cool." Usagi exclaimed, when she had opened her locker. It was the only word for it. The plugsuit that had been specially made for her hung there, on a hanger. It was dark green, with dark blue on the arms and the inside of the thighs. There was a 01 stencilled in the centre of the chest, in black. On a shelf above it, two green neuro-clips sat, ready for use. After finally getting the bulky piece of clothing on, she looked around herself, trying to figure out what she did wrong. I thought it was meant to be skin-tight, not ten sizes too big. Usagi noticed a button on the right sleave of the suit, and pushed it. Instantly, the plugsuit compressed, moulding perfectly around her body. Wow. She grabbed the hairclips, slammed the door shut, and set of at a run towards Central Dogma. "Dammit, that took too long. Misato will be pissed."

Usagi was breathing heavily when she finally made it back. She had gotten lost three times, and had to ask directions from the guards. She composed herself, and went up to her commanders.

"You took your time, Usagi. What kept you?" Asuka was first off the line in going off at anyone, no matter who they were.

"I got lost. it's so big.' She answered meekly

"Don't worry, I was always lost when I first transferred here." Usagi smiled slightly. Misato could make anyone feel better. But it couldn't last.

"There is a submerged object five kilometres off the coast in the vicinity of old Tokyo. Scans indicate an angel, but it has not moved since last report. You are to attack and destroy it before it can land."

"WHAT? UNDERWATER?" there was a quiver in Usagi's voice, and she unconsciously reverted to her dad's old habit, which she had taken up. She willed her hands to stop clenching, and relax.

"Yes, underwater. I've done it before, and that was with B-type equipment on my unit two. Yours has E-type, so what are you worried about?" Asuka interjected with an air of arrogance.

"Please don't start, Asuka." Warned Misato.

"Yes commander." She replied in a voice that sounded like a little kid not getting her way. Misato turned back to the pilot standing in front of her.

"Report to EVA cage in fifteen minutes. You leave in thirty."

"Yes ma'am." With that, Usagi walked off, heading towards the elevator.

"Well," she muttered under her breath. "Looks like I'm gunna learn to swim."

END CHAPTER THREE

How will Usagi fare in what will probably be her toughest battle yet? Is the eighteenth Angel really on humanity's side? And when will Unit 02 receive a pilot? Find out, in the next action-packed episode of EVANGELION: 2035- Saltwater Terror!

Author's notes: well, that's number three edited, by myself, no less. I refuse to use beta readers anymore, because of the huge amount of stuffing around that my old ones did.


	4. Saltwater Terror

EVANGELION: 2035

Due to an extreme amount of badgering from my friend and accomplice Jimmy (A.K.A the monkeys are coming), I have decided to delegate the usual warnings and precautions to him. He will be a good little muse, or he will sorely regret it. Sorry for any inconvenience, and I am in no way responsible for his actions, whatever they may be. Thankyou, and have a nice day.

Jimmy: No mikey. Hello everyone. I'm the one that keeps this fic as right as possible and if Diabloelmo disagrees with me I shout at him tell he changes it.

Diabloelmo: er, yeah, right…… looks at jimmy with a loathing look of hatred dumbass…

Jimmy: And I never fail

Diabloelmo: yeah but he hasn't achieved his main goal yet.

Jimmy: hehehe. Grins evilly

Diabloelmo: quirks an eyebrow what are you up to?

Jimmy: ummm let's just say I put something in the draft of the next chapter

Diabloelmo: looks at draft JIMMY I'M NOT MAKING THIS A SHINJIxKAORU FIC!!

Jimmy: PWEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diabloelmo: no. Now do as you're told and get on with the warning like a good muse

Jimmy: sigh ok. Diabloelmo doesn't not own neon genesis or any of its characters except the ones he made up for this fic (more in the future) and this fic does contain a fair amount of swearing and a bit of violence. (I'll make this a Shinji x kaoru fic YET)

Diabloelmo: What was that jimmy?

Jimmy: nothing... 

CHAPTER 4- Saltwater Terror

"Whoa!!!" As Usagi Ikari stepped through the heavy blast doors of the EVA cage, this was the only word out of her mouth. It was an impressive sight, she had to admit. Unit-01 stood before her; up to it's shoulders in coolant fluid. But she could see enough of it to know it's new colour scheme. Where before there was purple, the dominant colour was a dark, commando green, and the tips of its chin, horn and shoulder fins were a deep blue, almost black. The orange neck-guard had changed also, but to a dark blue colouration. The yellow eyes were the only light colours, pinpricks of life against the darkness of the armour. Usagi couldn't be sure, but the fins seemed to look a little shorter and stockier, but it may have been a trick of the light. Sighing, she walked over to the entry plug that awaited her. After climbing in, she switched on the communicator, opening up a window on the inside wall of the plug. In it, she could see commander Katsuragi, seated in her chair, Auntie Asuka standing to one side, and her father on the other. "Err. sorry to be a wet blanket," she begun, "But how the hell do I fight this thing?"

"Same as you would fight any other Angel, except you have to swim at the same time." Asuka's self-important voice was the first to come on, followed by Misato.

"Really, it shouldn't be all that difficult, Usagi."

"Well, heh, the thing is. I kinda. can't swim." Usagi admitted, scratching the back of her head nervously. There was an uncomfortable silence in the control room.

Usagi didn't like heights. As a kid, going up to diving boards freaked her out. She had gotten older, but she was still feeling apprehensive about looking facedown at the ocean, several hundred feet below her. Add that to the fact she can't swim, and you have one freaked-out teen.

"Pilot Usagi, please stop making your EVA fidget, or we'll all die." The voice of the transport plane had a hint of a quiver to it, making the joke sour. Usagi relaxed in the only way she knew: she closed her eyes. Like this, she could feel the small electrical signals going to and from her brain and the EVA. The feeling of the wind playing against Unit-01's face, through the armour, was pleasant. Like this, she thought she could feel the EVA's reactions to this. A hint of pleasure, perhaps, or an eagerness to go into battle. She wasn't sure, however_. Maybe the stress is getting to me. Yeah, that's it!_ Her little doze was interrupted by the co-pilot's ready, militaristic voice.

"Target visually acquired. Drop in T-minus ten." She opened her eyes, which widened considerably when she saw what the crew above her had. A giant silhouette, dark against the bright blue of the sea around it. It looked like a jellyfish, she decided. It had a large half- spherical body, with four massive tentacles stretching away from it. A faint dot of red could be seen within the confines of its body, showing the location of its S2.

"EVA release!" the com unit crackled to life once more, before falling silent. A slight jarring feeling went through the young pilot as the docking clamps detached themselves from the shoulder fins, allowing Unit one to plunge into the icy depths below.

"Ok Usagi, just concentrate on staying upright. The sea floor should be shallow enough for you to engage the target there."

"Err. right, Asuka." SPLASH! From a camera on the transport plane circling overhead, everyone in central dogma could see the less-than-graceful belly-flop that Unit-01 executed, a couple of hundred meters away from the target. The pilot was obviously having trouble righting her EVA, and was splashing and flailing about, sinking rapidly all the time. The Angel noticed this, and moving for the first time, turned to meet the EVA head on.

If she had a mouth, she would of smirked. Gadriel, the twentieth Angel, quivered her tentacles in anticipation instead. This copy of Father would be easy to beat, and with a second S2 organ, she could destroy those who misused the power of the Angels. _Take this, lillim_ .she thought, as she propelled herself towards the monstrosity. She could almost feel the Lillim's fear emanating from the 'plug'. WACK! WACK! She could hear the Lillim's screams as Gadriel wrapped her tentacles around the Evangelion, and stated to squeeze the life out of it. Its struggles only amused Gadriel, and made her squeeze all the tighter.

"Usagi! Try and break the hold!" her father's voice seemed distant. "I'm. I'm trying to daddy."

"C'mon! Snap out of it girl!" Usagi's godmother's voice was drowned out by the sound of armour cracking. I'm gunna die, I'm gunna die! I don't want to die! I'm too young to die! Someone help!!! No-one in central dogma heard her silent plea for help. Nothing human did, as the young EVA pilot feel from consciousness. But something did.

Within the deep confines of the S2 organ, something stirred. A spark of intelligence, a hint of knowledge, perhaps, and a shitload of anger and hatred for the bringer of pain to their granddaughter. For there was more than one entity in Unit-01's S2.

Gadriel paused for a moment. Its prey wasn't dead yet, so why had the struggles stopped? The EVA's eyes turned from yellow to a deep blood red, and one thought coursed through the twentieth's mind. _Oh shit_. This train of thought was derailed, by the pain of having her tentacles snapped in half, ripped from her body, and thrown away. Her dark grey appendages floated away with the ocean currant, spewing out blood. The sea turned a foreboding red colour, and Gadriel knew fear. Now defenceless, Gadriel could do nothing as the hunted-turned-hunter jumped up from the sea floor, ripping her AT field as it went, straight into her body. Her flesh exploded away from her body, and chunks of the Angel's flesh intermingled with the blood, giving the sea a strange, chunky appearance. The last thing she knew was an armoured fist plunging into her core, coming out the other side. What she didn't feel was the almighty blast coming from said core overloading, creating a giant hole in the ocean, quickly being filled up again with the displaced seawater.

"Owwww. My head."

"Usagi! Are you all right?" came the incessant voice of her father. It was a tone of voice she hadn't heard since her mother had saved her. At the moment, though, Usagi was too wrapped up in pain to realise this.

"Could ya speak quietly, without shouting, dad?" She opened her eyes, and saw the face of her father grinning sheepishly. She couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I'm ok. Got a massive headache though." The smirking face of Asuka came into view.

"See, I told ya. Piece of cake, wasn't it, hmm?"

"Err.." In reality, she didn't know. She could remember being in pain, being crushed slowly to death, and then she woke up. Usagi had a nagging feeling that something happened in the fight, but couldn't figure it out. Well, I won, didn't I?

"Huh?" suddenly, she was wide awake. Someone had said that, she was sure of it. But I thought it.. A cold shiver ran down her spine, followed by sweat. Well, it felt like sweat, but in LCL, it kinda just floated off.

Usagi screamed, and found relief as unconsciousness swept over her again.

Usagi was floating. LCL surrounded her, but she wasn't in the EVA plug. Nor was she dressed in her plug suit, but rather her school uniform, for some reason she couldn't fathom.

_I must be dreaming_, she thought. The words seemed to echo in this strange place, although without walls, she didn't know how. She pinched herself to make sure it was a dream. It hurt, but strangely. Instead of the pain being in her upper arm, she felt it in her entire being.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you, dearie." The voice behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin. Spinning around, she saw two people standing side by side. One of them, the male, looking like an older version of her father, but with glasses and a goatee, smiled warmly at her, although it looked a little strained. The other, the woman, had a rich burgundy-coloured hair and smiled, although this one was more genuine.

"Who. who are you?" Usagi demanded, feeling scared, but determined not to show it.

"We are the souls that reside within EVA. We defeated the angel, after you lost conscience." The man answered impassively. The woman gave him a disapproving glare, under which he seemed to shrink.

"You're seeing her for the first time, AND THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?"

"Sorry, Yui dear." He said that rather quickly, in an attempt to remove the gare from his direction. Whether or not it worked, she turned anyway.

"Just ignore Gendo, dear. His manners have quite a bit of room to improve. And in any case, we didn't do anything. I saved you. It's been a while since I had a good fight." her eyes seemed to glaze over, as she trailed off. She snapped back to reality quickly, when Usagi asked another question.

"EVA has a soul?"

"Yes it does. Do you know the reason why only you and your father where the only ones able to pilot this particular EVA?"

"No, why?" The woman called Yui smiled.

"Lets say that this EVA runs in the family, Usagi Ikari." In that moment, Usagi's brain decided to start making connections, and her eyes widened the moment it dawned on her who these two people were.

"Yui and Gendo Ikari?"

"In the, well, not quite in the flesh, but here anyway." The LCL they where in started rapidly changing colours, and the two elder Ikaris faded from view. As they did, blackness engulfed Usagi once more.

Usagi opened her eyes, expecting the whiteness of the entry plug around her, and was surprised to see a roof swim into view. Focusing a bit more, she turned her head and saw an impressive view of the Geofront below her. She sat up quickly, and instantly regretted it, as dizziness strove to overcome her again. Sitting up more slowly, she deduced by her surroundings that she was in the infirmary again. Easing herself out of bed, she saw that someone had left her clothes folded up on a chair. Quickly dressing out of the revealing hospital gown, she left the room in search of a meal.

"Hey, you're back!" Usagi was a little surprised to hear Susami show something bordering on concern. She grinned.

"Takes more than a giant jellyfish to keep me away for long."

"Giant jellyfish? We were told you had pneumonia." Came the suspicious reply from Sasami. Then her eyes widened as she realised, and quickly corrected herself.

"Ohhhh. Right." Usagi rolled her eyes, and the two girls burst in a fit of giggles. "Usagi Ikari to the principal's office please, Usagi Ikari to the principal's office." Came the call over the school PA. Automatically, the two girls stopped laughing, and looked at each other. "What did ya do this time?" demanded Susami. Usagi shrugged. "I dunno, but I'll tell you later." With that, she speed off out of the classroom. Susami sighed. _I wonder if all EVA pilots are gunna be like that.._

"Yes?" Usagi asked, as soon as she got to the office. She noticed the boy sitting in a chair in front of the principal, and Auntie Asuka next to him, leaning on the desk. The principal was not there.

"Err, what's going on?" she asked, slightly confused. The boy turned around, to look at her. He had raven-coloured hair, warm brown eyes and a ready smile. She decided he was cute, but not overly gorgeous. She instead turned to Asuka and demanded again. "Who's this?" Asuka smirked, as only she can.

"Usagi, meet James Sutton. The seventh child."

"Oh." Bowing, she said, by way of greeting: "Nice to meet you. Usagi Ikari, the sixth child." He blinked, and his pale European skin reddened slightly.

"He comes from England. Only speaks English, nothing else." Usagi felt herself redden this time, from embarrassment. She quickly switched to the proper language, so he could understand.

"Hi, I'm Usagi Ikari. I am the Sixth child." She said it slowly, because her English was abysmal. However, he understood, and replied.

"James Sutton, pleased to meet you." Usagi had an impression that this was someone who was extremely polite and 'gentlemanly', but that may have been because she had trouble understanding him. Switching back to Japanese, she turned once again to her godmother.

"Does he know about EVA?" Asuka nodded.

"He was filled in this morning. He will be joining you for your synch testing tonight." She winced. Not from any dislike of company, but she had forgotten all about the dreaded synch test. She hated it, the hours confined in that tiny plug, all to test her synch ratio with unit one.

"He will also be in your class at school. Make sure he doesn't say anything secret."

"Yes Asuka."

"I'm on duty.." She reminded the teen.

"Yes ma'am." She saluted, but in an exaggerated style. Smirking, she left the room, the boy in tow. Neither of the pilots saw the intense, loathing hatred in the subcommander's eyes as they left, nor the muttered comment she made once they left.

"Steal my Unit two, will you? You're going down, you little momma's boy."

END CHAPTER FOUR

What is going on in the deep confines of Unit-01's S2 organ? Will Usagi meet her grandparents again? And will the seventh child succeed in his quest to become a EVA pilot, or will his superior officer's dislike for him prove to be his undoing? Find out, in the next instalment on the Review- winning fanfiction series, EVANGELION: 2035- New Blood!

AUTHOUR'S NOTES: Well, that took long enough. Thanks to my muse for his hard work and dedication.. Well, not really, but, you know. Oh well. Thanks anyway to jimmy. Seeyez!!!


	5. New Blood

EVANGELION: 2035

Sorry to all the fans of my (for now) blue haired muse, but he ain't doing my disclaimer for this chapter. You wanna now why? Cause he's so damn bum lazy! I waited two nights for him to write a single paragraph, but I'm impatient. So I guess it goes to me. I don't own NGE or any of Gainex's characters. But I own all of my characters. They are mine. So don't steal them! They are all I own of worth.

Anyways, onwards with the story!

CHAPTER FIVE: NEW BLOOD

Usagi stood in the training room, surveying her surroundings from the top of her vantage point atop one of the dozens of pillars that were huddled together in a roughly circular fashion. They had been designed to simulate the towering skyscrapers of Tokyo-3, but at a scale so that the pilots could have combat training without the need to use the Evangelions.

The teen clutched her training sword tighter in her grasp. While made of wood instead of steel, the slightly curved katana was every bit as heavy as the real thing.

_And hurts like hell as well_ Usagi thought sourly.

Seeing a shadow move across a gap between the mock-up buildings, Usagi leapt gracefully from the pillar, landing softly on the rubber-matted floor.

Sidling up to a corner, she held her katana in a ready position and waited for a sound, her eyes half-lidded to allow her to concentrate.

Even with her mind set to the task, Usagi only discovered her opponent's presence when he pressed his sword up against her throat.

"You really shouldn't trust your hearing by itself, Usagi. If your eyes had have been open, you would have seen me." James stated in English, smiling slightly.

"Don't tell me how to fight, rookie!" shot back Usagi, with plenty of venom in her voice. She didn't think a lot of the newest pilot, and her opinion of him was getting worse.

_Get over yourself, you aren't all that great…_ Usagi didn't say what was on her mind, however.

"Only in Eva piloting. However, when it comes to the art of swordplay, you are quite inept" came the cool reply. This statement cut more than usual, because Usagi knew he was right.

"Ok you two, time's up. You may go home now." Came the voice of Asuka over the com system.

_Oh great_ thought Usagi as she made her way to the elevator, her bag hanging over one shoulder. _Another night alone._

As her father was a teacher at Tokyo-3 high, Susami was always the first in her class to get to school. She usually spent her spare time doing the homework that she should have done the night before, or sleeping. This morning, however, the room was already occupied by the time Susami walked in.

When she had identified the sleeping form sprawled over the desk as Usagi, Susami walked over and gave her friend a gentle shake.

"Hey Usagi, wake up."

"Mmph. Whozzat?" came the groggy response. When the dishevelled girl rose her head and regarded the person who had interrupted her sleep, she let her head drop back into her arms.

"oh….it's you….."

"Why are you here so early?" inquired Susami. "Or should I ask what the hell happened to you?" she added, after a moment of thought.

"Didn't have anything else to do this morning." Usagi mumbled. "So I came to school."

Susami blinked in surprise. Usagi was the last person she would think to be early to come to school, knowing how much she liked to sleep in.

"What time did you get here, anyway?"

Usagi raised her head, and thought for a moment. "oh, about six o'clock"

Now Susami was really surprised. She could barely believe that Usagi had been here for an entire hour already.

"Why so early? Your dad usually…"

"Dad's not at home," Usagi interjected bitterly. "he hasn't been home for a good week."

Susami bit her lip at this. She knew that Usagi's dad spent a lot of time at the Hospital, but nowhere near this much. She decided that her friend looked too unhappy, and tried to cheer her up.

"You mean to say that you have been home by yourself all week, and haven't told me?" she asked incredulously. "Knowing how you cook, how could you have survived? You know that you are always welcome at my place."

"I know… but my cooking isn't that bad."

"Oh, sure. C'mon, if you and my dad had a cooking contest, he would win. And he can burn water."

"Shaddap. And I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Susami rolled her eyes at this. "Said by someone who looks like their school uniform has gone through hell and back?"

Usagi growled. Her best friend always had the best comebacks. "And so what? Your mother did yours."

Susami grinned. "Ok, you've got me there. Well, if you are so stubborn that you refuse my hospitality, I'm coming over tonight."

Usagi began to splutter "But.."

"I'm bringing over some of mum's cooking…" Susami knew that she had just won the argument. Hikari Suzahara's cooking was legendary, and something that Usagi couldn't resist.

"Fine, then." She sighed. Usagi then plopped her head back down into her arms, and gave off a loud snore. Susami smiled lightly, then turned as the new exchange student walked into the room.

"Yo, James, another early bird, are you?" she asked in reasonably fluent English. She had always been good at English, mainly because she had grown up with her mother teaching her Basic English grammar.

James smiled at that. "I find that it is best to be awake early, and go to bed early. It's a healthy habit."

Susami glanced at her friend "not always, James, not always…"

The Englishman looked calmly at the still for of Usagi. He seemed to lighten up slightly as she stirred, a fact not lost on Susami.

"You like her, don't you?" she accused, a slight smirk forming. She didn't often have the chance to play cupid, and she wasn't about to pass this one up. James looked bashful for a moment, before his features again became stoic.

"She is a good friend. She works so hard at train…" he tried to stop himself before he formed the words, but it was too late. His eyes widened, and he winced.

"At training, eh?" Susami replied evenly. "Training for what, James? What do you know about her?" she already had deduced that he was an Evan pilot, but she wanted proof.

"Well, um… you see…" came the stuttered reply. Susami grinned.

"Don't worry. I already knew about Usagi, and you've just confirmed my suspicions about you."

A look of relief crossed James's face, as he realised that he didn't say too much to someone who didn't know. "you keep this a secret, won't you?"

Susami smirked "On one condition…"

The brown-haired teen narrowed his eyes. "And that would be…?"

"you take Usagi," she gestured to the oblivious form in front of her, "on a date."

END CHAPTER FIVE

What will become of Susami's meddling into the personal lives of the two Eva pilots? Will Usagi even survive her friend's visit?

And what of Tabris? Find out in the next instalment of EVANGELION: 2035!

Author's notes: a tiny chapter in comparison to my other ones, I know, but longer ones just take way too long to do. And I still don't have any reviews!!!! Gimmegimmegimme!

Pwese?


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